Category: JRNL101

The cry for attention has gotten out of hand, as the sense of danger still lingers in the small town of Baltimore. A month after the death of Freddie Gray, the Baltimore riots has created fear in society as the chaos created more than 150 fires and 200 arrests. The death of Gray on the 19th April promoted waves of protests over police brutality and their recent unfair treatment and reasoning to the death of young black men.

“Perhaps this would be somewhat understandable if it weren’t for the recent episode in North Charleston, South Carolina where a police officer fired several shots into the back of Walter L. Scott, killing him. There were no violent riots and the officer was arrested and charged”states Allen West, Fox News Contributor.

“But this is not just about the death of Freddie Gray, this is about something far more tragic: the breakdown of the inner city and the black community”and with this, President Barack Obama was quick to address the issue and shoot at the media.

President Obama spoke at Lehman College in New York City, where he addressed the lack of economic opportunity for young people of colour in inner cities. Washington Times wrote that the president suggested that the news media contributes little to the debate and instead focuses on acts of violence. His unveiling of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, designed to improve the opportunity of young men of colour, is said to be an initiative to relieve the tension in urban areas

“We ask the police to go into communities where there is no hope. Eventually something happens because of the tensions between society and these communities and the police are just on the front lines of that”Mr Obama speaks.

However, what is playing out before our eyes are the depraved spectacle of anarchy, violence, wanton criminality and an utter lack of leadership. But with hope, President Obama’s initiative will take action to reduce the risk of further fear and violent actions

A month after the Martin Place siege, Sydney Australia was once again put on hold as Circular Quay went into lockdown. The bomb squad, sniffer dogs and police were quick to lock down the area – including buses, ferries and trains – as a precaution over the suspicious object on the ‘Friendship’ ferry.

ABC news, The Daily telegraph and SBS news were quick to post the anxious moment that had residents on hold for 90 minutes. As the drama unfolded and the unattended object was deemed unsuspicious, the public still remained on edge;

“There were people starting to get a bit anxious in the area. (Some of the tourists) were saying they were going to leave Sydney because of the police presence.” Says Matt Cameron, a worker in the Sydney CBD.

“This is how we have to live. I think this is it,” Marry Bennett told SBS

‘Unexpectedly’ two days before the lockdown, Police officers were told to take extra precautions following global terror attacks.

‘Australia’s police force is on high terror alert, following the increase of the national police terror threat level from medium to high” writes Peter Terlato, The Business Insider.

Ultimately the apprehensive object was described as a bottle full of wires, nails and liquids…as well as training equipment. After opening the area up for the public, police were hesitant to give any details away but ABC news revealed the bottles were training equipment and were meant to be used in a security exercise.

“We can now confirm that the unattended package was a training device, which was not recognised as a typical training device by staff,” says Steffen Faurby, the chief executive office of Harbour City Ferries.

It seems as though police have mastered the skill of manipulation as they have once again returned the feelings of fear into society. Their investigations seemed dramatic and the public were left to feel anxious over a police procedure

It’s the click of a shot. The light of the flash. It’s the breathless moments that Luke Simon feels most at ease with his canon AE-1. After a few heartbreaks, his passion for photography has hidden his emotions that he desperately tries to hide.

At age 19, the second year Law and first-year journalism student, Luke Simon, expresses his passion for his new site given through his $300 camera. Sitting in the buzzing café store in North Wollongong, his lens zooms into the breaking waves of the harsh ocean.

“Photography started out as an experimental hobby a few years ago” he sighed as he continued, “My connection to my camera and the photo-taking process became a part of who I was. Not long after I first started taking photos, I had a long-term relationship end and I was really going down a dark path. I stopped doing the things I enjoyed for a few months and it wasn’t a sustainable way to live”

Following his large footsteps down the tiled stairs, his mind slowly drifts off and it quickly becomes silent. Once again, the click of a successful photo is all that’s heard. As Luke looks away from the breaking waves of the ocean and refocuses on continuing, I to, begin to feel the emotional attachment he has with his camera “Not taking photos makes me not feel like myself. I got back into it and I started re-emerging and finding happiness again, only to experience another relationship end, in far more dire circumstances, and that really messed me up. It’s only been over the last few months that I have been forcing myself to get back into my own skin like I did once before”

It was clear that Luke finds comfort in his camera. It’s not just an object to him, but it’s a way to express his life in a new way. A way to convey his emotions, not in words, but in memories.
I slowly began to realise that many of us, including myself, hide certain emotions through various activities. We constantly try to hide from the harsh world that clouds over us and, unfortunately, sometimes lose ourselves in the desperation to find happiness.

Luke quickly regains my attention by capturing another image as we make our final steps to the sand “In a way, photography is a coping mechanism for me. I love my camera and my camera loves me, and when I love something I love it with all the energy I have, so when those people turned their back on me and stepped on my heart, my camera was always there”

The way Luke’s eyes lit up when talking about photography and the memories he has collected will always be an image pasted in my head. Which in return gave me a sense of satisfaction knowing that the shy and quiet person I knew was able to express how emotionally attached he had become to his hobby.

It’s ironic to know that the modern game in a sports journalist’s career is the competition they face. The struggle for dominance in the industry is increasing as well as the will to be taken seriously. Journalism students from the University of Wollongong willingly share their passions and fears of joining the industry.

First-year journalism student, Mia Lorfino’s eyes widen at the opportunity to share her interests in sports journalism “It was never becoming a ballerina for me. I loved to watch NRL, tennis and soccer. And by 2012 I had an Australian tennis ranking of 743 – it was hard, but I got there”

Sport being a big part of these student’s lives, Luke Simon supported his craving to play, watch and talk about sport “Sport has been a big part of my life. NBA always intrigued me, but the only way to stay connected was through articles and interviews. And all I could think each time I read them was, ‘I’d love to do this’” he laughed.

The silence later became deafening at the possibility of not getting into the industry that sparked the interest of these aspiring journalists. “There is always a fear that you end up at plan E, and by that time it’s probably something you don’t want to do” Jesse Godfrey expressed his uncertainness as he gazed his eyes downwards.

“I’d be pretty down in the dumps if I ever had to resort to my plan E” utters Luke.

Sports journalism is a clear industry that is conquered by males, which has caused fear in female wannabe journalists. Their expectations of stepping up their game have risen, much like the high levels of testosterone in the industry.

Mia Lorfino voices her concerns over the lack of female sports journalists;

“I think this idea of women staying classy rather than getting their hands dirty and playing is what is making employers reluctant to have female sports journalists”

With this being a growing concern for young journalists; is this the reason there is hardly any females in the sporting world? or is it just another excuse for females to stay indoors.

Adding to the fear of being undermined by their passion, Birthe says, “A female is dangerous when she’s competitive. Goodluck to any male who steps on her game”. For these two first year female students, their fears of equality in sports journalism has instead acted as motivation which portrays their dedication and true cravings for becoming the best in a workforce that is all about defeating one another

“I had to quit playing for studying. But studying is what will keep me in the game. And so here I am; in a race to write the best instead of hitting the hardest. And my court…is Fox Sports” Mia Lorfino finishes.

These four Wollongong students are clear examples of hard, passionate and competitive people who are willing to play a game of catch me if you can with an industry full of cats and mice

No one prepared me for my food to be taken away from me my first day. Nor did they tell me I was going to yell at a bunch of ducks to go away a majority of the week. But that’s the reality at UOW, you and the ducks build a relationship by starving and offering a peace treaty.
This gentleman obviously has more experience than I do. In fact, the image perceives them as old friends, with the old role model of evil, in the background. The stance of the duck is similar to the statues, and looks like the gentleman has developed a relationship throughout the years with many of the ducks

UOW life #2

This assignment freaked me out. Hell, I didn’t even think I would be able to ask someone a question without stuttering. Going up to randoms who reject you, ignore you, and don’t want to help; annoyed me. But as I looked around, more than a majority of my classmates were experiencing the same difficulties. When it came to videotaping and portraits, it was difficult to find something that hasn’t already been done. So with this image I wanted to show everyone studying journal/communications etc. that it is totally normal to feel uncomfortable.

From choosing our clothes to picking what we do as a career,; our parents have more than once, influenced our decisions. Through the interview, Sofia Casanova, 19, and a second-year student at UOW explains the hardships of changing degrees, the pressure from her parents and the hardships that affected her lifestyle. You begin to gain an understanding of the pressure Sofia had to reach her parents expectations. Throughout her first year of Uni, she realised that it wasn’t anybody else’s decision to make besides her own. And with this she beat depression and started a degree in Journalism, where she now hasn’t let her past affect her.

From Snapchat to Instagram. From Facebook to Twitter, we are able to connect on more than one level. Although because a majority of our lives are shown on these sites, it eventually turns into stalking your crush’s newest follower, then her/his friend, and ending up at someone’s grandmothers page. But because of these new trending apps that have us hooked, we hardly have time to communicate with one another without the interruption of a notification.

The following Vox investigates the opinion of UOW student’s opinions on whether or not social media affects a relationship. Their views are all very similar.